gived us some o' them-er
Chawk'lut-drops 'at you bringed to her!

Charley he's my little b'uther--
An' we has a-mostest fun,
Don't we, Charley?--Our Muther,
Whenever we whips one-anuther,
Tries to whip _us_--an' we _run_--
Don't we, Charley?--An' nen, bime-by,
Nen she gives us cake--an' pie--
Don't she, Charley?--when we come in
An' p'omise never to do it agin!

_He's_ named Charley.--I'm _Willie_--
An' I'm got the purtiest name!
But Uncle Bob _he_ calls me "Billy"--
Don't he, Charley?--'Nour filly
We named "Billy," the same
Ist like me! An' our Ma said
'At "Bob put foolishnuss into our head!"--
Didn' she, Charley?--An' _she_ don't know
Much about _boys_!--'Cause Bob said so!

Baby's a funniest feller!
Naint no hair on his head--
_Is_ they, Charley? It's meller
Wite up there! An' ef Belle er
Us ask wuz _we_ that way, Ma said,--
"Yes; an' yer _Pa's_ head wuz soft as that,
An' it's that way yet!"--An' Pa grabs his hat
An' says, "Yes, childern, she's right about Pa--
'Cause that's the reason he married yer Ma!"

An' our Ma says 'at "Belle couldn'
Ketch nothin 'at all but ist _'bows!'_"
An' _Pa_ says 'at "you're soft as puddun!"--
An _Uncle Bob_ says "you're a good-un--
'Cause he can tell by yer nose!"--
Didn' he, Charley? And when Belle'll play
In the poller on th' pianer, some day,
Bob makes up funny songs about you,
Till she gits mad--like he wants her to!

Our sister _Fanny_, she's _'leven_
Years old. 'At's mucher 'an _I_--
Ain't it, Charley?... I'm seven!--
But our sister Fanny's in _Heaven_!
Nere's where you go ef you die!--
Don't you, Charley? Nen you has _wings_--
_Ist like Fanny_!--an' _purtiest things_!--
Don't you, Charley? An' nen you can _fly_--
Ist fly--an' _ever'_thing!... Wisht _I'd_ die!

_James Whitcomb Riley._

THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL

There was a little girl,
And she had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good
She was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.

One day she went upstairs,
When her parents, unawares,
In the kitchen were occupied with meals
And she stood upon her head
In her little trundle-bed,
And then began hooraying with her heels.

Her mother heard the noise,
And she thought it was the boys
A-playing at a combat in the attic;
But when she climbed the stair,
And found Jemima there,
She took and she did spank her most emphatic.